The Charles Barkley/Lebron James saga dragged on into Thursday night, February 2, but was perhaps put to rest with Barkley insisting that it was never his intention to convey that he had anything personal against James.

Barkley addressed the feud on TNT’s Inside the NBA. He spent much of the focus of his comments on admitting that he has been no angel over the course of his public adult life and indeed has done enough wrong to merit criticism. But Barkley insisted that he’s never waged a personal attack from the position he enjoys as an analyst on a major network and that that fact didn’t change with James. His criticism of the Cavs superstar was strictly about basketball, according to Barkley.

His remarks were a clear reference to James coming back at him with a reminder of some of the more shameful moments from Barkley’s rebellious playing days. James invoked headlines from the 80’s and early 90’s of incidents that included him tossing a man through a window, spitting at a child, and allegedly fostering unpaid gambling debts. The 4-time league MVP was lashing out over Barkley having said that James’ insinuation that Cleveland needs another star play maker, was “inappropriate” and a sign that he is afraid to compete.

“Do I take exception to it? Ernie, I’ve done some stupid things in my life. I have to live with that. I didn’t — when you say stuff, in our position, when you say stuff, people gonna come back at you,” Barkley said, when asked whether James’ retort continues to rub him wrong. “I did some stupid things in my life. That does not make my argument less valid. Like I say, I’m pretty sure Carmelo Anthony is a hell of a player and would love to have Kevin Love, Kyrie Irving and Tristan Thompson. Same thing with Russell Westbrook. But my argument with LeBron was strictly basketball related,” he then went on to say.